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The second-seeded Oswego State baseball team finished in third place at the NCAA Championship New England Regional following a 7-1 loss to No. 3 Tufts University on Saturday at Eastern Connecticut State University's Eastern Stadium. Oswego – the nation's seventh ranked team – wraps the year with a program-record 35 wins compared to just 11 losses. The Lakers made their second-straight NCAA Division III Championship this season and the program's fifth overall appearance, going 3-2 in the regional, earning its first NCAA postseason victory since a 21-20 triumph over Ohio Northern University in 1984.
On Saturday, Oswego notched nine hits, led by Eric Hamilton, Robert Donnelly and Alex Brown, who each had two. Brown had the Lakers' only extra-base hit of the day, ripping a double into the left-centerfield gap with two outs in the bottom of the third frame. Also recording base knocks were Myles Kutscher, Jordan Giller and Matt Capobianco. Giller, a senior, drove in the Lakers' only run on the day, singling a ball through the right side on a 0-2 count to score E. Hamilton from second base in the seventh inning.
Oswego started Nathan Boughton on the rubber, taking the loss in 4.0 innings of work, surrendering just three hits while striking out four. Cody LaFlamme was the first reliever out of the pen, with the senior allowing just one hit and no runs in 1.0 innings. Junior Andrew Morano also three a full inning in relief, scattering three hits for zero runs. Senior Mickey Putillo threw 2.1 masterful innings, allowing two runs, both of which were unearned. In his first inning on the bump, Putillo got the Lakers out of a bases-loaded, no outs situation by inducing a 1-2-3 double play and a groundout to shortstop. Freshman Matt Zakala tossed the final two outs for Oswego, giving up zero hits.
The Lakers entered Saturday as just one of 24 teams still playing out of 378 schools that participate in Division III baseball.
